The End of the World....
May. 6th, 2006 04:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdehnersA friend’s “rant” about a particular genre of Sci-Fi that I personally like got me thinking on a Path I hadn’t for a while.
I was a “peculiar” child, which comes to no surprise to anyone who Knows me in Mid or Cybergarðr. ‘Seeing Dead People’, “critters” and having “Imaginary Friends” as well as a touch of Pre-cog made me a "fun" kid. Up until the mid-”80’s” I Saw a particular Future. One that disappeared just before the Soviet Union “floated to the top of the tank”. Because of this, I’ve always had an Interest in Survival, which actually comes in very handy Wilderness Camping< G >. That “Future” won’t happen but a new one keeps “popping up” in that last two yrs. Since, like the previous Visions, they only involve the Future of wherever I am when the Buggers hit, I can’t say if there are Survivors or no…other than not where I am presently...
One thing that used to annoy the Heck out of me about the Post-A genre was how Unrealistic they were…tech-wise. Back in the “70’s and “80’s”, sure. You could at least “scrounge” for parts but anything complicated was Doomed after they ran out. Today, it’s Zip. Let’s face it. Today, if something’s Broke…it stays broke. Maybe someone’s hi-tech workshop could “cobble” something workable but not the “average joe”. The Truth is, the more complicated, the more likely something will go Wrong AND do the most Damage. Let’s be Honest, the “Average Joe” is more likely to be Gilligan than the Professor;>….
Personally, I’ve seen the trend. I lived through two direct hits of hurricanes in the early “90’s” and one last yr. I’ve Seen the Future, and it ain’t purdy. We’ve become more Passive as well as more technologically integrated. When the Grid goes down, everyone sits around waiting for it to come back up (or be repaired.). And it’s not just at the Activities of Daily Life as so tech-bound. Even our entertainment. During “Dennis” we didn’t lose phone service, yet we couldn’t Call most of our friends and family. Why? Because they had Cells and/or Cordless Phones. My neighbor’s kids went nutz because they had no non-tech playing skills….they don’t even Read.
Now, I’m not a “Luddite” but I recognize that the World has become both more Interconnected AND Fragile. I’m no longer Worried about the Extinction of Life because it will Survive, Change and Grow. What I do is that we live in a World where something like a two-week interruption in Grocery service could end up in something that makes Somalia look well-run. We haven’t even come close to repairing 50% of what was damaged during last yr and we’re weeks away from the Season beginning(Gulf Temp already in the low 70’sF). Add to that Mexico, Islam and Bird Flu…..
All I can say is that my only real Worry (other than running out of my Meds< G >) is Potable Water< G >…
Troth,
Pat
I was a “peculiar” child, which comes to no surprise to anyone who Knows me in Mid or Cybergarðr. ‘Seeing Dead People’, “critters” and having “Imaginary Friends” as well as a touch of Pre-cog made me a "fun" kid. Up until the mid-”80’s” I Saw a particular Future. One that disappeared just before the Soviet Union “floated to the top of the tank”. Because of this, I’ve always had an Interest in Survival, which actually comes in very handy Wilderness Camping< G >. That “Future” won’t happen but a new one keeps “popping up” in that last two yrs. Since, like the previous Visions, they only involve the Future of wherever I am when the Buggers hit, I can’t say if there are Survivors or no…other than not where I am presently...
One thing that used to annoy the Heck out of me about the Post-A genre was how Unrealistic they were…tech-wise. Back in the “70’s and “80’s”, sure. You could at least “scrounge” for parts but anything complicated was Doomed after they ran out. Today, it’s Zip. Let’s face it. Today, if something’s Broke…it stays broke. Maybe someone’s hi-tech workshop could “cobble” something workable but not the “average joe”. The Truth is, the more complicated, the more likely something will go Wrong AND do the most Damage. Let’s be Honest, the “Average Joe” is more likely to be Gilligan than the Professor;>….
Personally, I’ve seen the trend. I lived through two direct hits of hurricanes in the early “90’s” and one last yr. I’ve Seen the Future, and it ain’t purdy. We’ve become more Passive as well as more technologically integrated. When the Grid goes down, everyone sits around waiting for it to come back up (or be repaired.). And it’s not just at the Activities of Daily Life as so tech-bound. Even our entertainment. During “Dennis” we didn’t lose phone service, yet we couldn’t Call most of our friends and family. Why? Because they had Cells and/or Cordless Phones. My neighbor’s kids went nutz because they had no non-tech playing skills….they don’t even Read.
Now, I’m not a “Luddite” but I recognize that the World has become both more Interconnected AND Fragile. I’m no longer Worried about the Extinction of Life because it will Survive, Change and Grow. What I do is that we live in a World where something like a two-week interruption in Grocery service could end up in something that makes Somalia look well-run. We haven’t even come close to repairing 50% of what was damaged during last yr and we’re weeks away from the Season beginning(Gulf Temp already in the low 70’sF). Add to that Mexico, Islam and Bird Flu…..
All I can say is that my only real Worry (other than running out of my Meds< G >) is Potable Water< G >…
Troth,
Pat
